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Wise Words From a Professional Remodeler

Over the last couple of years, I’ve worked on a few remodeling projects with a builder in Minneapolis, Ethan Johnson. He started his own company over four years ago after subcontracting for several builders.

“You never know what you are going to find when you open up a home,” he said to me the day he discovered an unusually large cement sub floor in our bstylehome bathroom remodeling project.

“It takes lots of patience and problem solving along the way,” Ethan reminded us. Luckily, we’d handled remodeling projects before, so we knew to be ready for some unknowns and some budget changes.

Although the floor demolition took longer and cost just a bit more for labor, we finished the project without any other surprises. Ethan had been referred to me by another trusted contractor I’d worked with for over ten years.

If you are just starting a remodeling project, here are some of Ethan’s helpful hints:

• Determine the need for a Designer or Architect up front.
• Plan out your budget and hold some reserve for those unknowns.
• Look for a contractor whose primary focus is remodeling and ask past customers about the contractor’s timeliness, cleanliness and quality of work.
• Remember that remodeling is extremely invasive, so plan on extra time just in case there are extra tasks that need to be completed.
• Check the background of the company and the number of years they’ve been in business, including their remodeling specialization. It’s a good idea to see if they are licensed to work in your area.

Right now, Ethan’s company, EKJohnson Construction, and my interior design firm bstylehome have teamed up to complete a master bathroom remodel. We are excited to install the fixtures next week!